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Aim: To analyze the chemotherapy regimens and outcomes of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients older than 70 years of age. Methods: Between May 2001 and October 2009, 1135 patients with metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer received palliative chemotherapy. Of these patients 56 (4.9%) were ≥70 years old and were analyzed retrospectively. Results: The median age at the time of first-line chemotherapy was 73 years (range, 70–85) and the median Charlson comorbidity index was 0 (0–5). In all 17 patients (30%) received surgery with curative or palliative intent; 43 (77%) were treated by doublet or triplet first-line chemotherapy regimens and 13 patients (23%) received single agent chemotherapy. Median progression-free survival for first-line chemotherapy was 3.97 months (95% CI 2.05–5.89) with an overall response rate of 26%. After the first-line chemotherapy, only 18 of 56 (32%) patients received second-line chemotherapy. The median overall survival (OS) was 12.4 months (95% CI 2.81–21.99). In multivariate analysis, receiving surgery and disease control for first-line chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for increased OS for all 56 patients. Conclusion: Patients older ≥70 years with metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer might achieve clinical benefit from chemotherapy. Receiving surgery and response of over more stable disease for first-line chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for increased OS.

We investigated the photo-response of a-IGZO thin films under light illumination. The photo-response was compared before and after annealing. As the annealing temperatures increase, photo-response changes quite substantially. We explored the photo-responses of a-IGZO thin films under light illumination with various wavelengths. The photo-responses involve the photo-excitation and the dark relaxation phenomena in a-IGZO thin films. The photo-responses of samples were monitored and analyzed in terms of the trap states and oxygen vacancies. The quite large change of photo-response by the annealing was analyzed in terms of trap states and oxygen vacancies.

Aim: There is no further treatment option for metastatic colon patients who are refractory to standard chemotherapy and to whom novel biological agents are not available. We evaluated the outcomes of mitomycin-C, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin in patients with metastatic colon cancer previously treated with oxaliplatin/5-FU/leucovorin and irinotecan/5-FU/leucovorin. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 46 patients who had received mitomycin-C/5FU/leucovorin between March 2008 and December 2009. All patients had failed prior first-line and second-line therapy containing oxaliplatin, irinotecan, and 5-FU. Results: The median age of the patients was 57.0 years (range, 34.0–76.0) and their median Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was 1 (0–2). A complete or partial response was not observed in any patient and stable disease was observed in 19 patients (41.3%). The median duration of follow up was 29 weeks (range 8–87 weeks). Median progression-free survival was 10 weeks (95% CI 8–12) and median overall survival was 38 weeks (95% CI 32–44). Grade 3 and 4 hematological toxicities included neutropenia in five patients (10.8%) and thrombocytopenia in four patients (8.8%). Grade 3 or 4 non-hematologic toxicities included nausea and vomiting in two patients. There were no treatment-related deaths. Conclusion: The combination regimen of mitomycin-C/5-FU/leucovorin showed marginal activity and tolerable toxicity profiles in heavily pretreated metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

The important prognostic factors were evaluated for T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients in a prospective study using the CEOP-B protocol [a modified cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP)-like regimen that uses epirubicin instead of doxorubicin with the addition of bleomycin]. Fifty-two patients were enrolled in the study. The overall response rate was 63.5%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and median overall survival (OS) was 18.0 and 39.5 months respectively. The most common toxicity was neutropenia. The factors related to poor outcome were a high International Prognostic Index (IPI) and a high 'B' score (bone marrow involvement, B symptoms, bulky disease). We developed a new prognostic model, namely the Prognostic Group for T cell NHL (PGT) that included four groups: PGT1 (low IPI/low B score), PGT2 (low IPI/high B score), PGT3 (high IPI/Low B score) and PGT4 (high IPI/Low B score). OS and PFS (not reached, 48 months) in the PGT1 group were significantly longer than those (11.5 and 4.8 months) in PGT2. The same result was observed in the PGT3 and PGT4 groups. The CEOP-B regimen was moderately active and tolerable for T-cell NHL patients, and the PGT system might be useful for the prediction of long-term survival of T-cell NHL patients.

BACKGROUND Advanced biliary tract carcinoma is among the most prevalent fatal diseases in Korea. However, to our knowledge, to date no effective therapeutic modality has been shown to prolong the survival of patients in the inoperable stages of this disease. METHODS This Phase II study was conducted to determine the efficacy and toxicity of a combined regimen of epirubicin, cisplatin, and uracil/tegafur (UFT) modulated by leucovorin in patients with advanced or recurrent biliary tract carcinoma. RESULTS Eleven of 40 patients (27.5%) had gallbladder carcinoma, and the remaining patients had tumors arising from other sites in the biliary tract. All patients were treated with intravenous epirubicin (50 mg/m2 on Day 1), intravenous cisplatin (60 mg/m2 on Day 1), oral UFT (300 mg/m2 per day on Days 1–21), and oral leucovorin (75 mg per day on Days 1–21). Nine patients exhibited a partial response, representing 22.5% of the possible response rate (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 12.8–32.2%) based on an intention-to-treat analysis. The median survival was 34 weeks (95% CI, 20–48 weeks), and the median time to disease progression was 16 weeks (95% CI, 7–25 weeks). Neutropenia and thrombocytopenia comprised dose-limiting toxicity conditions. CONCLUSIONS The combination of epirubicin, cisplatin, and UFT modulated by leucovorin was active marginally in patients with advanced biliary tract carcinoma and was capable of stabilizing the disease effectively. Because it was a safe and convenient treatment modality, it may be used in outpatient care with only minor toxicity in patients with advanced malignancies of the biliary tract. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.

We conducted a prospective study to assess the prevalence and clinical characteristics of anemia and to define the risk factors for anemia in older Koreans. From October 2002 to November 2002, 1,254 subjects over the age of 60 years were selected from a cross-sectional study. All subjects underwent a complete medical history taking and laboratory testing, which included; a complete blood cell count, reticulocyte, liver and renal function tests, lipid profiles, and iron profiles. The median age was 70 years old (range, 60–95 years). The mean levels of hemoglobin (mean ± SD) were 14.5 ± 1.4 g/dL in men and 13.0 ± 1.1 g/dL in women, and the overall prevalence of anemia was 13.6% (171/1,254): 9.9% (27/273) in men and 14.7% (144/981) in women. We found that the prevalence of anemia differed significantly between those of age 60–69 and 70–79 years (P < 0.0001), those of age 60–69 and ≥80 (P < 0.0001), and those of age 70–79 and ≥80 (P = 0.0474). Hemoglobin levels were significantly lower in subjects ≥80 years old. By logistic regression testing, female sex, old age, lower albumin level, higher creatinine level, and lower body mass index were identified as independent risk factors of anemia in elderly Koreans. In conclusion, the overall prevalence of anemia in our study group was 13.6% (171/1,254), and this increased with age. Am. J. Hematol. 77:26–30, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) is a rare hematologic disorder, for which there is no standard therapy. Recently, STI (imatinib mesylate) has been shown to be effective in treating patients with chronic myeloproliferative disorder (CMPD) displaying the translocation of the PDGFβR gene. Here, we present a case of a patient with CNL carrying t(15;19)(q13;p13.3) who achieved a cytogenetic remission following treatment with imatinib, 400 mg daily. After failure of alpha interferon and hydroxyurea therapy, a durable and complete clinical and cytogenic remission was induced by imatinib. To our knowledge, this is the first case with CNL who showed complete response with cytogenic remission after treatment of imatinib. The mechanism of response to this molecule is unknown in our case (other oncogenes than c-kit, tyrosine kinase, or PDGFR may be involved). The patient remains in complete remission with an excellent performance status after 7 months of therapy. We demonstrate here that imatinib can induce a clinical and cytogenetic response in a case of CNL associated with a novel translocation other than a 5q33 rearrangement. Further studies including the molecular cloning of the t(15;19)(q13;p13.3) will be important in understanding the pathophysiology of CNL with a heterogeneous clinical course and the exploitation of the basic mechanisms of imatinib treatment. Am. J. Hematol. 77:366–369, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

This study was conducted to verify whether the response to high-dose intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) was related to the effect of splenectomy in chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) patients. A total of 79 patients over 16 years of age were enrolled in this study. The response to the treatment was classified on the basis of the platelet count as no response (NR, 150 x 10(9)/l). The response was evaluated after the infusion of high-dose IVIG, within 2 weeks after splenectomy (immediate response), and during a follow-up period of more than 6 months after splenectomy (sustained response), respectively. 58 patients (73.4%) showed responses (CR or IR) to high-dose IVIG. After splenectomy, immediate responses were observed in 73 patients (92%). The response to high-dose IVIG had no relationship with the immediate response to splenectomy (P = 0.333). A follow-up evaluation was possible with 58 patients; 6 patients with NR in immediate responses did not show any response during the follow-up period, and 17 patients relapsed within 6 months after immediate responses, so 35 patients (60.3%) had sustained responses. Responders to IVIG had significantly higher sustained response rates to splenectomy than non-responders (62% vs. 38%, P = 0.001). These results indicate that the response to high-dose IVIG could be a valuable factor predicting the sustained response to splenectomy in chronic ITP patients.

The genetic lesions that lead to the development of small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) remain incompletely defined. To identify recurrent allelic deletions in specific chromosomal regions that could serve as markers for tumor suppressor gene (TSG) inactivation in SCLC, we performed a comprehensive allelotype analysis of all 39 nonacrocentric autosomal arms. Alterations in 158 polymorphic microsatellite alleles were examined in 24 pairs of human SCLC tumor and normal control DNA samples. A total of 2,107 informative reactions were analyzed. This analysis revealed allelic losses of 100% on chromosome arm 3p, >85% loss within chromosome arms 13q and 17p, and >70% loss within chromosome arms 4q, 5q, 15q, and 16q. The allelic deletions on chromosome arms 15q and 16q have not been defined previously for SCLC and are candidate regions to harbor novel TSGs. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 27:323–331, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.